Champions
by shadowweaver1
Summary: Daine lives in the real world with no memory of Tortall or the life she might have led. That is, until she begins to have dreams alluding to the life of Daine Sarrasri the Wildmage. And what happens when she runs into a real life Numair? DN. review! pls?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Hey, this is the first fic I'm writing for this section. Actually its been forever since I've written anything at all for fanfiction so I may be a bit rusty. Constructive criticism will be much appreciated. Oh and I'm pretty sure that this idea has been used already so I apologise in advance if it is similar to something you've read/written. Hang in there though, there will be an interesting twist.

**Disclaimer: **The characters that I am using for this story are not products of my own meagre imagination but belong to Tamora Pierce. Don't sue me!

**Prologue**

_Veralidaine Sarrasri dropped to her knees beside the body of her mother. All around her, she felt her friends cry out in an agony that emulated her own but she ignored it. She was numb to it. She did not feel the hard wooden floor beneath her knees, nor the sudden bite of cold Snowsdale air that suddenly drifted through the open front door, nor Cloud's teeth biting into her shoulder; urging her back to reality with a pragmatism that only the pony could muster in such a desperate time. One thing alone filled up her senses consuming all of her conscious thoughts until she thought she would burst. Her mother. Ma. _

_Eyes wide and brimming with unshed tears she reached out to the unmoving figure that lay sprawled on the floor in front of her. She paused. Memories of having to wake her mother up on lazy summer mornings came back to her. In those times Sarra would jerk awake suddenly, and scold Daine for letting her sleep so long. Now Daine prayed to every deity she knew for the same reaction. Only a large part of her knew that this was not the same. There was never blood when Daine had gone to wake her mother up before. Now there was. Too much blood. Her knees were soaked in it and so was Sarra._

_Jerkily, trembling hands brushed the warm skin of Sarra's cheekbone; a movement that only a few days ago, many of the village men would have envied her for. With the last vestiges of her spirit, Daine forced herself to let her hand slide down to her mother's neck, where it searched ineptly for a nonexistent pulse. With each passing second, the mounting pain in Daine's chest swelled, making it hard to breathe until she was gasping through wretched sobs that shook her body, not even noticing the tears streaming down her cheeks or the blood flowing from her hands where her fingernails had been digging into the flesh of her palms. The blood dripped onto the floor to mingle with that of her mother's._

_Still, unmoving brown eyes stared hauntingly up at Daine, sunk into a face pale and frozen in a position of unadulterated terror, making the girl want to scream or cry or…kill. Daine stopped her shaking and sobbing at the sudden thought, eyes blank as she contemplated the feeling that was slowly drifting to the surface of her ravaged mind. It was something like hate only with a colder less attached side to it. Yes. She liked the cold. She did not want to feel right now. Forcing herself out of the foetal position she was in she made herself look at her mother._

_No more fear, no more sadness, she told herself. Letting the cold envelop her she reached a hand over and closed Sarra's eyelids. Then she closed her own eyes allowing a part of her that she had thus far suppressed to take full dominance of her body, mind and soul. At the edge of her consciousness, she felt them. Her family, the only family she had left and the only people that would help her now, she knew. Her eyes opened slowly, and when they did, all traces of the girl that had been Veralidaine Sarrasri were gone, leaving a feral creature born from tragedy, of a nature that could only be described using a word that coincided with the very essence of what it was; _wild

_The creature smiled, feeling no warmth despite this show, it was just a facial spasm triggered by the subconscious and a shadow of the emotion that the previous owner of the body would have felt had her family still been alive. First she would bury the bodies; the previous had made it clear that this was to be done, and then, the creature would hunt._

Nineteen year-old Daine sat up abruptly and nearly flew out of her bed. Blue-grey eyes wide and chest heaving erratically she wiped cold sweat from her forehead and forced herself to calm down. It was a dream, just a dream.

Rays of sunlight streamed through her window through a crack in the curtains, falling across her face and making her blink dazedly in the early-morning twilight. Having calmed down sufficiently she guessed the time to be around six o'clock in the morning, a highly indecent time to be awake considering she didn't have to be working until nine. Nevertheless she knew she would not be able to sleep now and so peeled off her sweat-soaked covers with a grimace.

"Must have been something strange I ate." She muttered to herself with a yawn. Remorsefully, she climbed out of her bed and padded over to her bedroom window. Bracing herself, she threw open her curtains, half expecting to see snow hugging the peaks of jagged mountain tops, with needle like spires stabbing at an ice blue sky that lingered frostily over a village. From a panoramic view she would see houses laid out sporadically across the land in a way that was obviously intended to exhibit a crude sort of communal ambience. The sight that met her eyes however was a far more familiar one. The new sun peeked out from behind the renowned sky-scrapers of New York City. "Home sweet home." Daine exclaimed with a relieved sigh.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **All characters and references to Tortall are property of TamoraPierce.

_goldeneyedwildmage: _Thanks for the advice. Will do.

**Coffee**

Living in New York City alone was dangerous, let alone expensive. Luckily for Daine Sanderson her landlady loved her and she had a group of tight-knit friends who barely gave her time alone to breathe, let alone to get into any kind of trouble. She had moved to the city long after her parents split up. Her mother had gone through a series of new boyfriend's, the most recent of which had been too much for Daine to deal with so as soon as she was eighteen she had told her mother she was leaving and hadn't really looked back. That had been over a year ago. She still kept in contact with her father but phone calls from her mother were less than sporadic. Daine hadn't minded terribly, too often it felt like she was a walking cliché and it was especially hard to dismiss the feeling when she had to go through the tribulations of family drama.

Presently, Daine was padding out of her bedroom into the area which served as her kitchen and living area. Despite the statement she had just made, strange dreams had become somewhat of a regular occurrence. So much so that at the recommendation of a friend she had begun to keep a 'dream journal'. Admittedly, Daine had snorted at the idea at first but her friend had then suggested that she "see a shrink" at which Daine had immediately embraced the idea of a journal. _Dreams are the result of the subconscious trying to tell the consciousness something. In order to understand dreams, you've got to piece together the images – like a jigsaw. _Daine had thought to herself reasonably. Daine almost laughed at herself, she had taken psychology in her senior year and failed it. Her teacher had complained that she didn't have the depth of imagination needed to understand Freud. In other words, her way of thinking was too practical.

_If only he could see me now_, she thought with a wry grin.

Flipping the pages of the leather bound Memorandum that served as her journal; she skimmed over her last entry with an odd feeling bubbling inside her. It detailed how she – _no, Veralidaine Sarrasri – _she corrected herself had spent the autumn of her thirteenth year. Daine almost recognised the odd feeling bubbling inside her; it was apprehension or anticipation. It came sometimes on days like this directly in relation to the dreams she had been having. She examined the feeling closer. It wasn't so much the content of the dreams that was disturbing (although the most recent one had definitely unnerved her) as the consistency of them. They were all about a girl called Daine Sarrasri, or rather about her as Daine Sarrasri and her life growing up in Galla with her mother. That might not be so strange, it could be attributed to an overactive imagination, however the realness and the clarity in them was remarkable.

Most people dreamt in blurred colours and slurred images that came randomly or parodied books they'd read or movies they'd seen. Daine had never even heard of 'Galla' (until a month ago when the dreams started) and yet despite this she seemed to be being offered glimpses into this girls life, events that were getting closer and closer together, perhaps honing in on a precise moment or event that catalysed the dreams in the first place. Daine didn't know: all she knew was that they were a lot more frequent as of late and were beginning to cause her to question her own sanity.

Grabbing a pen, Daine jotted down the events of her most recent dream, trying to stay as analytical as possible. Regardless of her best intentions, Daine found that by the time she had finished, she was shivering. The memory of sitting beside the body of 'her mother', burying the bodies of her entire family, then the pleasurable thrill that came with the prospect of a hunt were too fresh in her mind. In fact, even thinking about it brought every sensation back, the most prominent of which being that strong thirst for blood that just refused to be slaked – Daine dropped her pen. Haltingly, she backed away from the journal like it was a poisonous snake. Maybe she was losing it.

She needed to calm down. Shakily, she made herself head for her kitchen cabinet to hunt down some instant coffee. Needless to say when she found an empty jar she was less than pleased. She closed her eyes, putting a hand to her pounding head. _It's OK, _she told herself. _I'll take a hot shower, get dressed, leave early and pick up some more coffee on the way to work. _Now that she had a course of action the pragmatic side of her took over, dismissing all thoughts of dreams and madness to be dealt with later.

After having taken a shower, she pulled out her normal work clothes; a blue shirt with black pants. After having put them on, she briefly glanced in the mirror. Blue-grey eyes stared back at her with opposite and equal intensity. _I am Daine Sanderson. _She told herself firmly. A quick check to see that her brown curls weren't frizzed up and she was out of the door (she never had been the type to apply make-up).

Although the sun was out, the early morning weather could be considered chilly. Despite this, Daine had opted against a jacket; she always walked briskly and soon found that she was perfectly comfortable. Taking a short cut through a public garden she quickly became lost in her thoughts again. Another puzzling thing about her strange dreams was the pace of them. When they had started she had been viewing years of Daine Sarrasri's life at a time, recently though they had begun to slow down and become more focused. Almost as if something so important at this point of her life – no _Sarrasri's_ life – had happened that her subconscious was trying to call special attention to it.

Daine was jerked out of her reverie by the realisation that she had reached the store and was standing in front of the doorway standing absolutely still. All notions of how she had got there already or how much time had passed presently eluded her. Just three words kept spiralling around in her head; _what the hell?_ Worse, she suddenly noticed a shadow above hers on the shop door.

The voice that came from directly behind her was enough to summon a blush in her cheeks. "It's a very attractive door but if you were considering opening it any time in the next hour I'm sure I could stand to be early to work for the first time this week. Just a thought." The voice was male, and although he spoke wryly his voice was kind, warm and slightly hesitant.

Still blushing, Daine threw a hasty "Sorry" over her shoulder, catching a brief glance of a crisp white shirt and wide shoulders before pushing the door open and rushing into the store. Walking to her aisle she shook her head at her own folly. She had spaced out – something she had never done before these odd dreams had started. Maybe she _should_ see a shrink. Sighing, she picked up some instant coffee, hoping she wouldn't do anything else to embarrass herself today.

Trying to keep track of her thoughts she joined the queue that was nearest to her. The girl sighed as she realised that the woman at the front of the queue was causing a ruckus about the price of kitchen towels which meant that this would take some time. Idly, she turned around, watching as a man who looked to be in his late twenties stepped in line behind her. He was tanned; tall with dark hair swept into a pony tail and a…white shirt. _Damn, _Daine thought as she realised that this must have been the man she had nearly become comatose in front of earlier. The man noticed her staring at him and flashed her a quick smile.

Daine felt herself blush again as she turned around, now the man must think her a complete space-case. She took comfort in the fact that she would in all likelihood never see him again.

Finally stepping up to the counter she watched as the bored-looking sales assistant scanned her item.

"Two-twenty." The woman announced.

Daine frowned. _Damned inflation. _She rummaged around in her purse and came out with two bucks. Cursing inwardly she wondered if the heavens were intent on making her look like an idiot on that particular day. Handing the lady the two dollars she kept searching, becoming increasingly aware of line behind her and her own flushed expression. "I know I've got it some-"

"Here." The swarthy man behind her was holding out twenty cense. She glanced at him, he was more attractive than he had appeared at first glance. His eyes were dark and sensitive. He had a full mouth, a long nose and a kindness about him. He reminded her of a teacher she had had before moving out to New York. The man had especially been there for her during the rough transition of her parents' divorce. Like her old teacher, this man was the kind of person Daine would have preferred to meet under equal terms.

Realising something, she dug into her pockets and came out with the remaining money triumphantly. Finally purchasing her item she turned to the tall man. "Thanks anyway."

The man smiled pleasantly and nodded. His white teeth were straight; Daine was sure he must wear a retainer at night. "No problem."

Leaving the store Daine made her way down the walk to a crossing and checked the time. It was still way too early to be at work. She decided to take another walk and headed towards the public garden she had walked through earlier. Sometimes she found that being submerged in nature had more of a restorative effect on her than a full night's sleep. Her mother had once acridly told her that that was because she was born in a zoo. That had been after a particularly bad argument over the woman's latest beau.

Reaching a set of traffic lights Daine stopped dead. There he was again. The same man she had refused money from in the store. Not such a coincidence as she had effectively just circled the block but one tended to forget such things when faced with someone they had just embarrassed themselves in front of. He was coming towards her; about to cross the road.

Loud reggae music blared in the background; distracting her train of thought. A red convertible was speeding down the road. The man seemed distracted too. He was walking as if completely preoccupied. So preoccupied that he seemed not to notice the "Don't walk" sign that was lit up as he set foot onto the road. Daine noticed all this with widening eyes.

Maybe it was the caffeine deprivation or the odd dreams, or the complete surreal nature of the morning she had been having. Either way Daine reacted in a way she probably wouldn't have on any other day.

"STOP!" She yelled. Neither the man nor the occupants of the red convertible noticed. Of course, this was New York; people shouted things all the time. She dropped her bag, her legs were moving before she had time to register what she was doing, her feet pounded against the asphalt.

She was barely aware as she slammed, bodily into the tall man. They both practically flew back onto the pavement just as the convertible sped past. They did not hit the floor, but rolled several feet before coming to a panting stop.

Coming back to herself, Daine began hyperventilating as she realised what she had just done. _Who the hell do I think I am? Lara Croft? _Realising that she was lying on top of the man, her head buried in his chest, she placed her palms to either side of him and pushed herself up shakily to see if he was alright. Her brown curls spilled onto his broad shoulder.

After a moment, intense black eyes blinked up at her and she sighed, relieved. He seemed to be searching for words.

"Thanks," He said finally, his voice hoarse.

Daine was still breathing hard, adrenaline still coursing through her. "No problem." She returned. She noticed his chest was heaving too.

The man winced "Ow." he said eruditely, in a delayed reaction to the pain.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to shove you so hard-"

"No, by all means. Whenever you see me walking out into a moving vehicle feel free to hit me with a sledgehammer if it helps. It's just- your knees are digging into my legs."

"Oh!" _Idiot! You're still on top of him. _Daine rolled away allowing the man to stand up. He did so slowly, but she was glad to see that there seemed to be no damage. He offered her a hand courteously.

She smiled, taking it. "And here I thought chivalry was dead."

The man chuckled, pulling her to her feet. He held on to her hand for a moment longer. His palm was warm and slightly calloused. He swept her an elaborate bow that elicited a giggle. His voice had a trace of an accent; she suspected he was Canadian. "Adam Draper." His expression turned serious. "If it weren't for you I might be dead."

"Daine Sanderson." And because she had to know, "What exactly was it that had you so distracted that you didn't notice that car…or the traffic light…or me shouting 'stop!'?"

Adam looked embarrassed. It was a pleasant turnaround for Daine. "Work" he admitted.

"You must be devoted." She remarked.

"Inescapably."

"What do you do?"

He seemed not to have heard her. He was looking at something behind her and Daine wondered if he had somewhere to be. Then his attention was back on her. "I'd love to talk about that with you- but perhaps over a cup of coffee? That is…unless you have somewhere to be?"

Daine hesitated. She was not in the habit of having coffee with complete strangers and he looked to be about a decade older than her. But then, she was not in the habit of jumping out into the road to save complete strangers either.

Adam noticed her hesitation. "Or I could buy you some instant coffee- to replace the one you just bought?"

Daine glanced behind her noticing the remnants of the bottle she had just purchased scattered over the sidewalk. She laughed "Fresh coffee sounds wonderful."

Adam grinned. "Great, I know a place."

Daine did not know what it was; but with each passing second spent with Adam she felt a growing sense of familiarity. It was not something that she felt immediately; she was sure she had never laid eyes on this man in her life and yet…she recognised him somehow. The feeling was intangible; and seemed to arise from miniscule observations. Not his accent so much as the pauses in between his speech – as if each word was weighed, the way his teeth flashed when he smiled, the grace with which he walked.

_You really are losing it Sanderson. _

Forcing herself to concentrate on what he was saying, Daine squashed the feeling.

"-and I discovered this place. It's quite a find; a peaceful little diner in the middle of the city. The food's great too."

He had stopped outside a small diner. He was right in calling it peaceful- there was practically no one inside and it didn't take a genius to know why. There was a Starbucks across the street. Daine estimated the diner would be out of business within a month.

Adam held the door open courteously. She wondered whether there was an end to his politeness, and if there was hoped it would come soon. He was trampling all over her expectations of the male species. Well, at least the good looking ones she amended. Laughing at her own prejudice she took a seat across from him.

He raised an eyebrow quizzically. "What?"

"Nothing," She smiled. "It's just- you can't be from around here."

He grinned. "Why? Don't I come across as your typical red-blooded all-American beef?"

She grinned. "I'm a vegetarian."

He chuckled. "I'm Canadian, at least by birth. A quarter Spanish, half Hawaiian and I spent some time in England." He paused. "What about you? Daine isn't a very common name."

"No?"

He shook his head, weighing her with his eyes "Sounds Greek."

Her smile was slightly sardonic. "Sorry to disappoint you. My mom made a little spelling mistake when filling out my birth certificate. It was meant to be Diane." She was beginning to enjoy hearing his laugh.

"You live with your parents?"

"No. My parents split when I was thirteen." At his expression she explained, "With each other. They split-up."

Adam nodded slightly. "So you moved out here with one of them?"

"No I- wait how did you know I wasn't a New Yorker by birth?"

He shrugged. "You don't seem like the city type. You don't seem in a hurry to get anywhere. Most people here are, you know?"

That was certainly true. "I guess I'm not acclimatised yet. I moved out here by myself a year ago. I didn't get along with the company my mother kept after dad." Daine was suddenly uncomfortably aware of how much she had said. She didn't often talk so easily about her parents and she had met Adam all of twenty minutes ago. But something about his manner was soothing. And he hadn't said the customary "I'm sorry" or tried to console her in any way, just listened intently, his eyes never straying far from hers.

She was saved from having to continue that line of conversation by the waitress who came over to take their order. Daine checked her purse to make sure she had enough money on her. She was not about to let Adam pay. Looking up she noticed Adam staring at the waitress. She rolled her eyes. So at least she knew that Adam wasn't completely inhuman.

The woman _was_ pretty and looked around Adam's age. All dark hair and big brown eyes but there was a hardness about her that made her seem slightly on the antagonistic side. For a moment, she reminded Daine of someone but she couldn't remember who, no matter how hard she stared. A niggling sensation in the back of her head enhanced the allusion.

The woman's name tag was obscured by the collar of her cream blouse. "What can I get ya?" She asked, completely oblivious of the pair's close scrutiny of her.

Daine shook herself. "A cup of coffee and a chicken sandwich please."

"And another coffee" Adam added slowly. "I thought you were a vegetarian?" He asked Daine once the waitress had left.

"I am," The girl replied. "Chickens don't count. They're dumb animals and their clucking annoys me." He shook his head. "What about you?"

"I like chickens as much as the next guy" He told her with a straight face.

She laughed, "No, I mean, your parents." Daine knew it was probably an odd question to ask considering Adam was probably close to thirty but there had been a sense of understanding in his eyes when she told him about her past. She wagered it was more than empathy.

"My father was a bit of an ass. Left my brothers and my mom when I was getting my masters."

"Oh," She said, wondering at the levity in his tone.

He grinned, and then explained, "My mom inherited some money a week later. She's living comfortably in Canada with my two siblings."

A loud crash interrupted their conversation. Their waitress had just dropped someone's order. Adam sighed. "This _is_ a nice place, and the service is usually better."

Daine shook her head. "I don't blame her. I was a waitress for a couple of months. It's not as easy as it looks."

"I don't doubt it. What do you do now?"

"Play with animals all day."

"You're a veterinarian?"

Daine chuckled. What was it about educated people that made them think that everyone else had the same opportunities they did? Before the long line of boyfriends she had been the primary source of income for herself and her mother. It had always been a sore spot for her that she had had no time for college. "I wish. No I work in a pet store."

Daine had to chide herself for making assumptions again. Adam did not so much as blink. "Not the huge one across the park?"

"Yeah that's it. 'Rosie's'."

"That's only a few blocks from where I work."

"Let me guess…you're a stunt double for Adrian Paul?" She smiled, gesturing to his pony tail which was probably more in fashion in the early nineties.

The friendly jab was lost on him. "Actually I work at S.O.L labs in the R and D department."

"Research and Development? So, do you make cool new weapons for government officials or try to clone things?"

He laughed. "You watch too much TV." Then conspiringly, "I clone government officials so _other_ people can test out cool new weapons on_ them_."

She laughed "A true patriot." They both jumped at a loud beep.

"Sorry, that's me." Adam said, pulling out a cell phone. The man read his text message then sighed. He looked up regretfully. "It's the Emperor."

"What?"

"My boss. Strongly resembles that guy in Star Wars. I'm afraid I have to go, someone messed with one of my more delicate experiments."

She stood up with him, "Sure. I should be going too." Their waitress seemed to have forgotten about them in any case. She could hardly believe this was the same day that she had awoken to in a cold sweat after a disturbing dream. It had been so easy to sit here, talk and laugh with Adam she was sure she had lost track of time. Adam looked anxious. She frowned, "I'm sorry if I made you late."

The man shook his head. "You probably saved my life. And I still owe you a cup of coffee. Can I take a rain check?"

"Sure." She told him, smiling as he patted her shoulder and left. Their was an obvious intelligence about him but he had to be one of the most scatterbrained people she had ever met. He had inattentively walked out in front of a moving vehicle while thinking about work and the minute his boss contacted him he promised to buy her coffee when they hadn't exchanged numbers or anything. Daine smiled to herself, he was obviously very wrapped up in his scholarly pursuits.

Still, he was kind, warm and could make her laugh at will. She felt a touch of sadness at the realisation that they would probably never cross paths again.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Thanks for all your kind reviews. I hope I've managed to reply to them all. Once again, my sincere apologies for the lateness of my update. I've had a lot on my plate coming up to my final exams. Please continue reading and reviewing, and those who aren't reviewing- shame on you! I need some constructive criticism! Not that standalone compliments aren't appreciated :)

**Disclaimer: **All characters are property of Tamora Pierce.

**Ice Cream**

_It was amazing how fast Daine was getting used to the presence of Numair and Onua. Onua was the sister she never had, Numair the friend she had always wanted. In many ways it felt as though she was living a dream. She had never considered the possibility that she might actually be _happy_ where she ended up. Not after what had happened to her ma. But these people were putting her at ease. _

_She wondered whether that was a good thing._

"_Daine?" Onua's strained voice made the girl look up. Onua and Numair had been riding in front of the ponies with Daine bringing up the rear to take care of any stragglers. _

"_Yes'm?"_

_Onua allowed the ponies to pass, falling into step with Daine. "I'll look after the ponies if you look after tall, dark and annoyingly cheerful. He's giving me a headache. I made the mistake of allowing a scholarly conversation to start." _

_Daine laughed and rode up to the front. Numair was untying a sack that contained apples for the horses. When he noticed her, he tossed her one and smiled._

"_Ah, I see you're both taking turns to ride with me. How flattering"._

_Daine smirked, "Actually, Onua was getting bored."_

_Numair feigned a hurt look. "How could anyone get bored of Herne's theories on astrology?" _

_Daine was about to make a quick retort when her mind lingered on the last word. Her Grandda had tried to teach her about astrology. She toyed with the stalk on her apple. He had taught her a lot of things. Archery, hunting, tracking. And she hadn't been able to help him when he needed it. What use were all those skills if she hadn't been able to save the two people in this world that she had loved. _

_Sensing something was amiss Numair made an attempt to salvage her mood. "Well I can see that your opinion of me has been sullied. But I can't have you reaching Tortall and still thinking I'm monotonous. So what'll it take to convince you?"_

_Daine took a moment to work out what 'monotonous' meant. A slow smile formed on Daine's face when she remembered something else her grandda had tried to teach her. She tossed him back the apple he had just thrown her. "That depends…can you juggle?"_

_As the mage began to demonstrate his answer with many jokes in between Daine was suddenly all too grateful for this boon she had been granted. It was a new beginning. And it was a good thing. _

This time when Daine awoke, it was not to the sound of her own heartbeat but the sound of her alarm buzzing noisily from her dresser. Groggily, she pulled herself from out of bed and turned it off. She had put it far from her bed to avoid the temptation of pressing the snooze button a zillion times, which she was liable to do. But, she realised with a growing sense of dread, that she would not have been able to do so today anyway. She had overslept and had to be at work in twenty minutes. That ruled out the possibility of any kind of breakfast but she managed to take a quick shower and scribble quickly in her journal before heading out.

The fact that Numair Salmalin or Arram Draper bore an uncanny resemblance to Adam Draper was not lost on Daine. Never before had her real life had any bearing on her 'dream life' as Daine Sarrasri, but somehow Adam must have made some kind of an impact on her sub consciousness. Also, the feelings she had begun to experience in her dream, warm friendly feelings towards Numair seemed to have carried over to the waking world. She found herself seriously regretting not having taken Adam's number.

These dreams were really starting to disturb her.

She made it to work just in time, enough to get a slightly disapproving glance from her boss but nothing else. Taking care of her morning duties, and bringing out the animals that were meant to be on display today she barely noticed that Kali had come in late. The younger girl came up behind Daine and startled her. "And how's our employee of the month?" The girl asked chirpily.

Daine grunted and pushed a brown curl out of her face, not for the first time wishing she had Kali's blond locks. Sunlight just seemed to bounce off of them _and where had this boiling whether come from anyway?_ "Hot and tired already. And I'm only employee of the month for two more days."

Kali nodded, taking her place behind the cash register. "Yup. That may be true but you're sure to be again. You work harder than any of us." Kali had been a close friend of Daine's for the last six months. Despite working with Daine, they had been raised in extremely different environments. Kali's parents were owners of a quickly expanding international company. Kali had gotten a Ferrari for her seventeenth birthday and fully paid college tuition for her eighteenth. Had it not been for Kali's parents' belated decision that their daughter needed some first hand experience in the real working world then Daine and Kali would have probably never met.

As it was, Daine was glad that they had. Out of all her friends Kali, although slightly younger was the most sensitive and caring. Despite her sometimes present frivolity she also possessed an emotional maturity that Daine had found herself drawn to. It was seldom that Daine had a problem that Kali didn't have the answer to. Considering this now, Daine decided to seek her advice on her recent problem.

"Kali," Daine began.

The blond had been cleaning out a rabbit cage but came over to sit beside Daine, noticing the serious tone that had entered her friend's voice. "What's up?"

"It's the dreams, they've- been giving me trouble lately."

Kali scrubbed her hands with a tissue before regarding her intently, dark eyes wide. "What kind of trouble?"

"Yesterday, her mother died."

"_Her_ mother? Whose?"

"Daine Sarrasri's."

"They're still following a linear timeline?" At Daine's nod, Kali considered for a moment. "Daine, this is really weird. I'm worried about you. Maybe _you should_ see-"

Daine winced. "Don't! Please don't say it." She told Kali about Sarra's death and about Veralidaine going insane. There was a weighty silence. In retrospect Daine knew how odd this situation would seem to an outsider. For her, it had become something of a normalcy. But she trusted Kali's judgement.

"Is that everything?" Kali said finally.

They were interrupted by a customer, after which Kali was called by a senior member of staff concerning her paid leave for the year. By the time they finally got back to their conversation Daine had had time to plan out how she was going to explain. "It's not just that. It feels as though something's changing, or something's about to change. So far the dreams have been so detached, like a fantasy novel. But yesterday-" Daine began telling her about her encounter with Adam Draper, but when Kali began to giggle Daine was forced to stop.

"So, you jumped on this guy that was about a decade older than you then went out with him?"

Daine blushed scarlet. "What? No! It wasn't like that. He was trying to repay me for the coffee I spilled."

Selling a customer some goldfish food, Kali continued her teasing. "Oh I see. So when are you seeing him next? You bringing him to Cassie's party?"

Daine had been cleaning the counter but found a better use for the towel in her hand and threw it at the younger girl's face. "Grow up."

Kali stuck her tongue out. "You first"

Chuckling, Daine went into the back to do some inventory as her rotor suggested. Suddenly she didn't feel like telling Kali that Adam had entered her little 'dream world'. It would probably only give her more ammunition to tease her with anyway.

Daine rolled up her sleeves, the day was already unusually hot but the back room was stifling. Starting the task at hand she found herself wandering again. If Adam was a real person then perhaps Onua, her 'ma' and grandda were real people too. People who she had had chance meetings with and quickly forgotten. The 'Dorothy Gale syndrome' they would call it. _And you were there, and you were there and you were there. _Laughing at her whimsy, she settled down to work.

Ten minutes in and she was interrupted, the door swung open and Kali spotted her behind a couple of boxes.

"Daine!"

"Kali, I already told you. It was nothing. Just coffee. _Which_ by the way we didn't even _have_. Why are you looking at me that way?"

Kali smiled sweetly. "This Adam Draper. He wasn't drop-dead gorgeous was he?"

Daine crossed her arms defensively. "Why d'you-"

"Tall, dark hair, intense eyes, nice body?"

Daine frowned. "How did you-"

"He's standing outside. At the counter." Kali grinned. Before Daine could get a word out she was forcibly pulled to her feet and almost shoved out of the store room.

Adam was not at the desk however, as Kali had said, but was peeking through one of the cages, at a tortoise. Immediately, Daine was struck by how much he looked like _Numair_. _Or maybe it's the other way around. _Daine amended silently. In any case her dream seemed to have captured details about him that even she hadn't noticed the first time they'd met; his stance, posture, the way he tugged his nose while thinking.

"Adam?" She called.

The man turned around smiling. All thoughts that he was there by coincidence were erased from her head. And she was surprised at the wave of pleasure she felt at the prospect that he was there to see her. _Well, we have been friends for a couple of days. Or at least Veralidaine and Numair have. _This was getting confusing.

"Daine." He said by way of greeting. His voice came out slightly shy, as if unsure of himself. "I was nearby and wondered whether you wanted to get that coffee I owe you?"

Daine did not hesitate. She smiled, "I have a lunch break in half an hour. Can you wait?"

He nodded. "Sure. I'll come back" He nodded politely to Kali then left.

"And _what _was that?" Kali asked shrewdly.

"What?" Daine held up a hand, "actually never mind; I don't want to know."

Kali stopped her with a hand on her arm. "Daine…all jokes aside. I'm worried. Don't go." Daine realised she was serious.

"Kali, whatever you think's gonna happen – don't worry. He really is just a nice guy."

"I'm not so sure" the younger woman replied caustically.

Daine didn't know how to reply to this so she just went back to work. _Now where had that come from? _She wondered. Kali was not the kind of person to make rash judgements about people. It made Daine wonder whether she should just make an excuse not to go. But no, a strong part of her wanted to. The same part of her that wanted an answer as to why she had been having these obtrusive dreams.

Thirty minutes passed in a flash and soon Daine was following Adam out of the store and onto the sidewalk. Brushing a stray curl out of her flushed face she found herself lamenting the humidity again. She frowned, walking alongside the tall man. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea."

Adam looked at her, startled. "Daine-with this- I didn't mean…I just wanted to get to know you better. As a friend- I- well you can go back if you-" He trailed off at the sound of her laughter and smiled, seemingly despite himself.

"I meant coffee, Adam. I was about to say the weather's a little hot for it." Somehow it put her at ease to know that he had been having some of the same doubts that she had.

Adam chuckled. "OK, let's just forget that I stumbled all over myself there."

She grinned. Although his words had relieved her in one way, she was not done teasing him yet. "Oh but how could I? It was really cute."

Recovering fast he admitted "Well, I suppose it was an excellent ice breaker" he paused. "Not coffee?"

She wrinkled her nose. "No. Ice cream?"

"Lead the way."

They went to the local Haägen Dazs café and she found herself stuck between ordering the strawberry cheesecake which she adored and the Belgian chocolate which looked sinfully delicious. After a moment she got the strawberry cheesecake and stepped out of the queue. Adam joined her later with a scoop of the Belgian chocolate.

"I thought we could share." He told her, holding out two spoons.

She beamed at him. "Good thinking"

"So," He said as they began walking, Daine taking hearty bites out of her ice cream. "What time do you have to be back at work?"

"Forty-five minutes" she replied, after checking her watch. She regarded him quizzically, "Shouldn't you be at work?"

He grinned, "There was something of a coup détat yesterday which ended with my boss's nephew being put in charge of our R and D department."

Daine smiled, Adam didn't seem too broken up about it. She remembered what he had said yesterday. "So the Emperor got dethroned?"

For some reason, Adam stopped walking and stared at her for a moment, frowning. When she realised, she stopped too and looked back at him. "What?"

Adam opened his mouth to say something but was cut off as a loud motorcycle ripped past, gusts of wind blowing in its wake. The sudden commotion had made Daine jump. And drop her ice cream. "Damn." She hated those things.

She looked back at Adam but the strange expression she had momentarily seen on his face had vanished. He was smiling again "New York, eh?"

She grimaced, peeling a flyer off her trouser leg, "Tell me about it."

Glancing briefly at the advertisement she noticed it was for a fun fair at the docks the coming weekend. She sighed wistfully; she had loved things like that growing up. Before the split her dad had been especially indulgent, taking her on all the best rides and buying her candy floss. Now that seemed a thing of the past.

Having been distracted by the flyer, Daine had not noticed Adam coming up behind her to read over her shoulder. Now she got a whiff of a musky scent which was strangely familiar. She looked up to catch a glimpse of him retying his hair. The image struck a chord in Daine's memory, giving her a sense of déjà vous. She moved away feeling strange all of a sudden. Adam seemed not to notice her discomfort.

He handed her his ice cream and took the flyer. "A Funfair at the docks?" he read. He misinterpreted her expression. "You want to go?"

"Yeah, sounds like fun." She said slowly, still feeling an intangible _itch _in the back of her head. Coming out of it, she shook herself. "But you don't have to- I mean, wont you have work?"

They began walking again. "Not necessarily. My new boss is somewhat more lenient. And I suspect he'll need time to restructure before I can commence my work on some of the more delicate projects again."

"Must be nice." She remarked. "My boss is a hag. Two minutes late and you get yelled at."

He chuckled. They continued like this for a while, talking about inconsequential things until they were both so much more at ease in each others presence that Daine almost forgot that weird sense of recognition that she had felt earlier. When her lunch break was nearly up, he walked her back to the store.

She smiled at him. "Thanks for the ice cream." She had eaten the Belgian chocolate when hers had ended up on the floor.

"No problem." He hesitated, wondering if he should mention the fair again.

"Oh, wait here a minute."

He nodded and she ran into the shop for a minute. He watched as she briefly conversed with her blond friend. Daine was shaking her head adamantly; it was obvious the two did not agree on something. Then Daine wrote something down and came back outside.

She handed him the piece of paper. The last half an hour with Adam had been great. It had convinced her that they could just be friends despite the age difference and the fact that they had met under extremely odd circumstances. "My cell phone number." She explained. "I barely use my landline. I really want to go to the docks on the weekend. If you want to go, give me a call."

He smiled shyly. "Will do. It was great talking to you again Daine."

"You too, Adam." She said to his retreating form.


	4. Chapter 4

_Bo: _Thank you :)

_Palomino: _Sorry about the spelling errors, hopefully when I get time I'll be able to go back and fix them. Thanks for your comments :)

**A/N: **Thanks for all your reviews. I hope I've managed to respond to all of them; please forgive me if I've missed anyone.

**Disclaimer:** Daine and Numair belong to Tamora Pierce, as well as a scene or two in this chapter…

**Candy Floss**

Daine swayed on her feet, her head throbbing in response to the music blasting from Cassie's surround sound speaker system. She maneuvered over to a wall and leant against it, her jaw cracking in protest as she yawned. _Coming to this party was _not_ a good idea, _Daine thought belatedly.

Running on reserve energy she pushed herself off the wall, dodged past a very drunk varsity football player and managed to extract herself from the room. The hallway was not much better in terms of noise, but at least it wasn't as crowded as Cassandra's living room had been. After tolerating two hours of this party Daine was ready to go.

"Daine! Are you ok? How many drinks did you have?" Daine looked up; it was Kali coming from the adjoining room looking concerned. Ironically, Daine had only met Cassandra through Kali. Like Kali, Cassandra came from a whole different upbringing. This house that was currently making Daine feel incredibly claustrophobic would any other day have been large enough for her to run laps in. As it was, it was bursting at the seams with people and Daine had barely been able to move all night.

"I'm fine!" Daine was forced to yell over the music. "And I haven't drunk anything. I haven't even been able to _move_."

"What?" Kali bellowed.

"I said I'm fine! Just tired!" She tried again.

"Huh?"

Sighing Daine grabbed her friend's hand and dragged her through another door which she knew from previous visits led to the other levels of the house. Walking up a flight of stairs the blaring music gradually receded. Daine slumped onto a bed in one of the guest rooms, rubbing her temples while Kali closed the door.

The blond grinned. "That's better. But I wanna get back down there before Mike and Pete start their drinking contest."

"You do that." Daine told her. "I'm going to head home."

"What? You can't leave now, its only nine." Seeing Daine's stubborn expression, Kali tried another tack "It's not safe at this hour anyway. If you wait a while I'll drop you."

Daine frowned and refrained from pointing out that the girl had just contradicted herself first saying it was too early, then too late. "Look I'll be fine. I just want to get home."

A concerned look flashed across her friend's face. "Why? What's wrong? And don't say 'nothing' Daine."

Giving in, she replied "It's just…I'm tired, I didn't sleep last night."

"Not at all?"

"No."

"Why?"

Daine hesitated. She had never gone a full night without sleeping. Not even when she had deadlines in high school. The truth was she hadn't slept the previous night for a very simple reason. She was afraid. The dreams had taken a turn for the worse. While ostensibly happy, traveling with the Riders in training, Sarge, Alanna, Onua…Numair…Daine had undergone some harrowing events. The incidents with Stormwings and spidrens were what were haunting her even in the waking world.

_Shrieks, metallic and shrill, tore the air. Eight giant things--they looked like birds at first--chased the hawk out of the cover of the trees. Immense wings beat the air that reached women and ponies, filling their noses with a stink so foul it made Daine retch. The ponies screamed in panic._

Daine shivered at the mere memory. More and more she found that that her two worlds were colliding. Other than the inexplicable sense that Stormwings and Griffins actually _existed_, she would crave food that Veralidaine Sarrasri had once had, miss people she had known, and most disturbingly, feared for her own sanity.

All in all, Daine had felt that a night without such dreams would do her good, even if that meant a night without sleep. However the converse was proving to be true. If anything she was even more edgy now. She wondered whether she should tell Kali the truth.

"I was testing to see whether the dreams would stop." She admitted after a moment.

"And…did it work?"

"I don't know. I guess we'll see tonight." Daine sighed again. "Look I'm sorry. You go down and enjoy the party. I think I'll just crash here for a little while. Come get me when you're ready to leave."

Kali acquiesced. Heading to the door, she paused a moment, a sly grin on her face. "Are you sure Peter didn't give you a roofy?"

Daine scowled. "From what I hear, that would be just like him." Daine had gone out with Peter Richardson once and hadn't liked him. He was charming, in a lecherous sort of way but his personality did not seem to stretch further than that. From what Daine had gathered from their conversations he had a one-track mind and wasn't ashamed of it.

Sobering quickly Kali shook her head. "It was a joke Daine. He's not really like that. I wish you would give him a second chance."

"Maybe one day."

"He really likes you. He wants to go out with you again."

"Hmm."

"Is this about that guy, Adam? Because Peter is a lot more…in your age range."

Daine stomach lurched. She had never seen Kali so adamant about disliking someone. It made doubts rush through her head again. But then…Daine was her own person. "Look, Nu-_Adam_ is a nice guy. I don't understand what you have against him. Besides, I don't look at him in that way, and I'm sure he prefers tall blondes."

Kali looked at her oddly. "How would you know that?"

"I…I don't." Daine hedged. "It's just an educated guess s'all."

"OK Daine. Just don't say I didn't warn you. I'm gonna go down now. Get some rest."

Daine kicked off her shoes and lay back onto the bed properly. She had almost called Adam 'Numair'. She would have to watch that. _Numair doesn't exist. He is just a figment of my imagination. The same as the rest of them. _She kept telling herself that as she drifted off to sleep. Into a world that seemed all too real.

_She hadn't been in Tortall long when she awoke one morning to a familiar feeling and the stench of Stormwings. Coming to attention quickly Dain__e attempted to rouse the riders, Kuri and Onua all the while holding back the feeling of bile rising in her throat as that inexplicable sense of _wrongness _permeated the air around her. _

_Metallic wings reflected light from the new sun and Zhaneh Bitterclaws was leading the flock which was currently swerving towards Daine. "Kill it!" She screeched her left eye black and oozing. "Kill this beast!" After their previous encounter Daine was not surprised that the female Stormwing had taken a particular dislike towards her, and the feeling was mutual. _

_As Daine took in the sight of more than fifty Stormwings honing in on her position she felt cold fear sweep over her. She crouched low, knowing that without her bow she was defenseless. Cloud immediately came to her rescue, rearing at the Stormwing and striking her with angry hooves. _

_More ponies followed, forming a perimeter around Daine and lunging at the Stormwings when they made a swoop for the girl. Soon Tahoi was there too, as well as a pack of hounds, all baying and protecting her. Suddenly annoyed at having to put her friends in danger for her protection Daine's eyes darted around and fell on a pile of rocks. The girl hefted one, which struck Zhaneh Bitterclaws square on the nose._

_Daine could feel nothing but satisfaction at hitting her target "There you monster! Come close so I can do it again!" A little dog began bringing her more rocks for ammunition and Daine's attention suddenly strayed to movement in her periphery. _

_Near the fence, Numair stood with two others. His eyes locked with hers and she saw a mix of emotions, rage, concern, surprise, and even a little awe. And then black fire laced with silver was shooting from his hands to attack a Stormwing. Purple and Blue magic came from Alanna and a bearded man as Onua and Sarge joined the fight.  
_

_Between humans and animals they beat their enemies back, at least into a retreat, Zhaneh Bitterclaws and those remaining were able to get away practically unscathed._

_Daine's knees buckled from exhaustion and she slumped to the floor, feeling the wet grass through her breeches. Numair came down the rise looking tired. Daine was cataloguing the damage done to the animals around her, a lot were cut and bruised but miraculously none had died. _

"_I said I'd see you again," Numair quipped, leaning on a nearby tree._

_Daine grinned up at him. "You timed it perfectl-" _

An alien noise roused her from her slumber, buzzing and vibrating somewhere near. Daine rubbed her eyes, still groggy from her interrupted dream and realized she wasn't at home in her bed. Cassie's party. Guest bedroom. Right.

The alien noise was her cell phone, she realized belatedly and dug around in her purse until she found it, wondering where the hell Kali was.

"Hello?" She said, wincing at how her voice was still thick with sleep.

"Hey, sorry. Did I wake you?" _Adam. _Daine sat up.

"Um…no. Well yeah but it doesn't matter, I shouldn't have drifted off so early anyway."

Adam chuckled. "It's past twelve. I don't think this qualifies as early."

"Oh." Daine frowned, annoyed her friends had let her sleep this long. She shook herself. "So what's up?"

"Nothing much. I was just wondering if you're still up for this funfair day after tomorrow?"

Daine smiled even though she knew he couldn't see her. "Sounds like fun. Where shall we meet?"

"I could swing by and pick you up,"

Daine considered this. Even though to her and Adam this arrangement was perfectly innocuous Daine knew how her friends would see it. "How about I meet you there at around four? I have a couple of errands to run beforehand."

"Sounds good." A pause, then "Is everything alright Daine?"

Daine was startled, "Yeah, why wouldn't it be?"

"You just sound a little….uncomfortable."

It did not occur to Daine to question how after knowing her for only a few days Adam could pick up on such a subtle nuance of a mood. "Yeah I guess I am a little. I'm at a friend's party and fell asleep in a guest room." She explained warily "My friend Kali was meant to drive me home but she was also meant to wake me up a few hours ago so I'm a little worried she left without me."

"Shall I hang up so you can call her?"

Daine was reluctant to hang up; Adam's voice soothed her somewhat, but knew she wouldn't get home anytime soon without Kali, "Yeah I guess."

"Ok, but give me a call or something so I know you got home safely,"

"Ok. Thanks Adam. I'll see you on Saturday."

She called Kali and within a few seconds she was fuming. "How could you leave without me?" She demanded.

"I'm sorry Daine, I tried waking you but you were out like a light. The party was still going on downstairs but Cassie said you might as well just crash there the night, it's not like she doesn't have enough room."

"You know we have work tomorrow don't you?"

"Oh, yeah well…oh Damn, I'm sorry Daine. I don't know where my head was."

Daine sighed. "Forget it. Maybe I'll just call a cab."

"OK." Kali hung up and Daine shook her head as if she could shake off her irritation with it.

She realized she didn't actually have a number for a cab company- on her budget it wasn't her regular mode of travel. Cassie would have one though, she realized, and with that thought in her head she stood up and gathered her things.

She didn't want to look at the time, knowing it must be around one from the fact that there was barely any noise coming from downstairs. Upon entering the living room she'd been in earlier she found nothing but the remnants of the party; paper cups and cans of beer strewn about everywhere.

Daine bit her lip, if Cassie had gone to bed already it was unlikely that she was alone, which meant it would be entirely inappropriate to rouse her just to ask for a cab number.

"Daine, hey!"

Daine jumped so high into the air she was almost levitating. When she'd gotten over her surprise she spun on her heel, "Pete, you scared the hell outta me!"

Peter Richardson ran a hand through his sleek blond hair and smirked at her, "Is that how you greet an old friend?"

"Old friend?" She quirked an eyebrow.

"Well I haven't seen a lot of you lately. How've you been Daine?"

In truth Daine had been avoiding him intentionally. He was the type that didn't seem to get the hint, or else maybe he pursued her more because she avoided him. "Great. Pete have you seen Cassie?"

He sighed dramatically. "Would that you were looking for me."

"Huh?"

Peter laughed heartily. "Oh Daine, this is why I like you so much. You're not one of those stiff thespians like most of the girls I see." Daine shifted uncomfortably wondering how to extricate herself from the situation. Peter did not seem to notice her trepidation and continued, "I mean, you're just so…unpredictable."

"Uh…thanks…" Daine shook her head, telling herself she was imagining the predaceous gleam in his eyes. She shifted on her feet, "But I really do need to find Cassie. I have work tomorrow and need to get home-"

"Say no more, I'll give you a lift."

"No, Pete that's really not necessary."

Suddenly business-like he walked around her and put his palms on her shoulders, steering her towards the door. "It's no trouble whatsoever, and actually I wanted to talk to you alone anyway. I'm parked outside."

Daine sighed and decided not to struggle and make an issue of it. She just wanted to get home. In any case, despite what she'd said to Kali earlier she didn't think she was in any danger with Pete. _Elsewise I wouldn't have gone out with him in the first place. _

The car ride consisted mainly of Pete talking and Daine making occasional comments on what he was saying. When he parked outside her place Daine was ready to bolt but Peter turned the radio off and turned his full attention to her. "Actually Daine what I wanted to talk to you about was when I should pick you up."

"Pick me up?" She asked, confused.

"For dinner. Monday night, I was thinking eight?"

Daine wondered if she should laugh out loud or be angry at his presumptuousness. "Peter, you're a nice guy and everything, I just don't think we should go out."

"We'll make it seven then." He leered.

Daine shook her head and exited the car, thinking she was going to kill Kali.

Daine's sleep that night was refreshing but she still dreamt. Of rider training and grooming horses as Veralidaine.

She spent the following day caught between nervous anticipation and excitement at seeing Adam again. While waiting at the gates of the fair, she wondered whether she would be able to separate the fiction of her dreams from reality. It was becoming increasingly hard not to think of Adam as Numair. As her dreams unfolded the similarities of their personalities became more and more evident.

Suddenly Daine found herself staring at a mound of pink fluff on a stick. "I hope you like candy-floss" Numair and Adam's warm voice baited.

She grinned. "Love it," but when the girl tried to reach for it the man held it just out of her reach.

"You don't deserve it." He told her sternly.

She frowned. "Why's that?"

"_You_ didn't call me back last night."

Daine almost laughed at him, enjoying this playful side to him. "I'm sorry if I worried you," she said meaning it. "Now can I have my candy floss?"

Adam seemed to be considering it. "Hmm…you seem sincere."

Daine tried to grab at it but his height gave him advantage over her. Eventually she gave up, pouting.

Adam laughed at her antics. "OK, here." And gave her the stick.

Daine immediately took a large bite of the sweet, closing her eyes to enjoy the sugary taste. "Thank you." She chirped around the mouthful.

The man couldn't resist chuckling and ruffling the girl's hair fondly. "Let's go."

Review!


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **Daine, Numair and Onua are characters belonging to Tamora Pierce. I wish I owned them but sadly I don't. I own the fun fair guy though! That's something :)

_SeventhSpanishAngel12_: Now that would be telling ;)

_Anonymous_: Since Peter is a character I kind of threw in on a whim he kind of is Perin and he kind of isn't. You'll see what I mean in a few chapters…

**Water**

They spent the day enjoying the rides and looking at the stalls. Daine loved the fact that despite the age difference, Adam was still young at heart and didn't mind indulging the childishness that emerged in her because of their surroundings. After some coaxing, Daine even dragged Adam into the stall of a fortune teller. Daine didn't know what she was expecting but the woman in the tent said nothing overtly ominous, claiming that Daine was soon to come into some fortune. _I guess it's not like in the movies where the fortune teller tells me everything I need to know about what's happening to me._

"So Daine," Adam's warm voice began, "what exactly are you intending to do with this large fortune you are about to acquire?"

Daine thought about it for a moment. "Well if I do get stumble across some wealth, a new apartment wouldn't hurt."

"What's wrong with the one you have now?" He asked curiously.

"What's right with it?" Daine joked. "Anyway, the lady didn't say it would be a _large _fortune. For all we know I could find a dollar lying around somewhere." She pointed out pragmatically.

Adam tugged his nose then shook his head at her pessimism. "_Or_ you could win the lottery."

"Mouse manure."

Adam almost choked on the water he had been sipping at. "_What_?"

Daine blinked, and then giggled at herself. "Sorry, I don't know where that expression came from. It just seemed like the right thing to say."

The fair around them was a cacophony of music, shouts and laughter. They walked some more, not talking much. Oddly, they had already come to that stage in their friendship where they felt comfortable together without feeling the need to make needless small talk. If neither was in the mood to talk; they didn't.

_What am I doing here anyway?_ Daine wondered. Aside from the obvious reasons- to have fun and hang out with Adam she had previously felt an inexplicable urge to come today. When that flyer had been blown against her leg it had seemed only natural to impulsively follow the direction it sent her in. But now that clarity was eluding her.

Daine glanced around, wondering what they should do next. Or maybe they should just call it a day and head home? A dog cut across their path causing both Daine and Adam to halt, watching the flurry of fur and paws dart past them followed by its owner, looking frazzled. The woman threw a quick "Sorry!" back at Adam and Daine and in that moment Daine caught sight of a round friendly face and grey-green eyes before the woman disappeared into the crowd.

_That face_. Daine stared, feeling shocked at the chord it struck in her memory. The image almost burned the inside of her retinas, leaving an imprint there, sending her mind into a whirlwind of something akin to deja vous.

_A woman, standing in the middle of a fair. Annoyed. Tired. Looking for a trainee. Onua Chamtong. _

This time was different from when her mind had registered the duplicate of Adam in Numair. She had had dreams about this woman way before she'd ever set eyes on her. There was no way her dreams could have captured that woman so perfectly when Daine was sure they'd never met before. There was no denying it now- these dreams were not normal.

_Not normal? Who am I kidding? We're dealing with the downright supernatural._

She suddenly realized she was still standing stock still and forced herself out of the daze she has fallen into. Adam was at her side staring in the direction the Onua look-alike has ran off into. Daine frowned, wondering what he could be looking at. Then she saw a buxom blond in his line of sight and had to force down an odd feeling and coughed loudly. Adam jumped, a slightly guilty look on his face, which made Daine chuckle.

"Caught you." She accused.

"Huh?"

"You're not a complete gentleman after all, looks like." Daine teased, gesturing to the blond. She was grateful for the distraction from her previous stream of thoughts.

Adam laughed, "She's not my type."

Daine frowned, looking at the woman properly now. She looked so _polished_. Slim, curvaceous, blond haired and blue-eyed. "Beautiful isn't your type?" Daine raised her eyebrow disbelievingly.

Adam shook his head and nudged her chin with his fist, making her face a few inches to the left of the woman. "Married isn't my type." The girl watched as a tall dark haired man joined the woman with a passionate kiss.

"Oh," She muttered, feeling foolish. "But how could you tell?" They weren't close enough for him to have noticed a wedding ring.

Adam gestured for them to start walking again. "As you get older you become better at reading people. I won't lie to you; I've had my experiences with women. Some were great."

Daine nodded, noticing the diminutive look in the man's eyes. "And others?" She asked softly.

Adam met her gaze and smiled. "Water under the bridge."

Daine realized that was all she was going to get out of him for now and decided a change of subject was in order. She saw something that might be fun for them. "Win me a teddy bear?" She asked him.

Adam saw a stall he thought might not be rigged and pulled her towards it.

As they got closer Daine saw that it the only thing behind the portly man running the small stall was a large target with a red dot in the center. Hung above and all around were teddy bears of various shapes and sizes, but all brown with a small gold cupid insignia embroidered onto the posteriors. No one else was queued up here; most people were rushing about trying to get their fill of the rides before it rained. The clouds were darkening threateningly.

"Hello there sir, are you gonna try and win your lady friend a bear?" The large man asked cheerfully.

Adam grinned. "I might, or you could save me the embarrassment and just give me one for cash?"

Daine shoved him playfully. "Seeing you embarrassed is almost as fun as winning."

The man shook his head. "Just for that, I'm going to play and _win_." He turned to the patron, "What do I have to do?"

"Simple sir, shoot one arrow into the gold circle and you win a prize. You get three arrows for a dollar." He handed Adam a large bow and took a dollar in return.

Daine almost lost her balance as she stumbled backwards at the sight of the archane looking object. _No way. No way is this all a coincidence. First the Onua look-alike and now a _bow_? This is just weird. _

Adam glanced at her, "You alright?"

Daine swallowed and forced back that odd feeling again. _You are Daine Sanderson. Daine Sanderson. Daine Sanderson. _"Yeah I'm fine. Quit stalling."

Adam grinned and returned his attention to the contraption in his hand, awkwardly brining the arrow up to the bow and notching it there. He leveled it at his target said to Daine, "Just call me Robin Hood," Before letting it fly. Unfortunately the arrow nearly missed the target all together, landing on the outermost ring.

Daine couldn't quell an eruption of giggles. "Robin Hood? More like Friar Tuck!"

Adam was momentarily abashed but recovered fast. "If you're so smart then you try." He handed her the bow.

Daine shrugged and took it, notching an arrow and letting it loose before she even had time to think about it properly. It hit dead center. She did not want to think about the implications behind that, nor the fact that she had never used a bow and arrow in her waking life and so accepted her prize in silence, hugging the soft artificial fur to her face.

Adam shook his head. "There's going to be no living with you now, is there?"

Daine laughed, happily. "Pirates of the Caribbean?"

"One of my favorite movies." He admitted.

At that moment, the heavens saw fit to end their impromptu outing. After days of heat the weather finally broke and it rained. Heavily. The water quickly soaked Daine and she gratefully accepted Adam's offer of a ride home.

In the car they talked of inconsequential things so Daine was not given the opportunity to linger on the day's weirdness. She could see Adam becoming one of her closest, maybe her best, friend in the near future. Never before had she connected too fully and so quickly with another human being.

When they reached Daine's apartment she smiled easily at the man sitting next to her. "Thanks for everything, I had so much fun."

Adam returned her smile, "Me too."

"I hope we can do this again soon. Hang out I mean."

"Definitely. I'll call you." Adam winced as soon as the words left his mouth, that sounded like something he would tell any of the random women he dated. Daine was a friend, not one of those women. "I'll be seeing you soon, maybe I'll stop by Rosie's again sometime." He amended. "You owe me an ice cream."

Daine nodded and grabbed her teddy bear from the back seat, not noticing that her cell phone slipped out of her back pocket in the process. "Bye!" She jumped out of the car and made a beeline for her front door, trying to be as quick as possible as the rain beat down at her and the pavement around her.

She didn't hear Adam getting out of the car and running after her with her cell phone because a moment of panic swept through her as she felt herself lose her footing and slip, her feet flying upwards in front of her as she fell backwards, letting out a loud yelp.

And then suddenly she was suspended.

Adam had caught up just in time, managing to obstruct her fall by catching her under her arms. She stared up at the upside-down image of him as her eyes began to fill with rain water and began to laugh, seeing the irresistible humor in the situation. Adam pulled her to her feet, laughing with her. "Thanks."

"I said I'd see you again." He jibed.

She smiled. "You timed it perfectly."

Time suddenly seemed to stand still.

"_I said I'd see you again," Numair quipped, leaning on a nearby tree._

_Daine grinned up at him. "You timed it perfectly" _

They stared at each other.

Review!


End file.
